Rod end bearings are known in the art and generally comprise the combination of a spherical ball having a central cylindrical opening to support a shaft and the like, a raceway for the ball and a rod end body for supporting the raceway with its spherical ball. The usual rod end is so constructed to accomodate some degree of misalignment of the part supported by the central opening of the ball.
One method for manufacturing a rod end bearing is to deform a cylindrical sleeve around a portion of the spherical ball to form a raceway, and thereafter machining the outer surface of the bearing to provide a cylindrical configuration. The spherical ball and a raceway sub-assembly is then inserted in a suitable rod end body, after which the raceway and the rod end body are connected. Another method is to form the raceway and join the parts in one operation, as taught by King U.S. Pat. No. 2,952,901.
In one process, metal of the raceway is deformed into chamfers formed on the bore of the body. This can be accomplished as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,462 issued to Robert H. Shiflet on May 16, 1972. One species in this patent requires a groove to be provided in the raceway. Another alternative taught by the patent is to upset metal from a housing or a support into chamfers on the raceway.